As you read earlier, the fundamentals of “green building” construction are: 1) energy efficiency, 2) conservation of natural resources, 3) indoor air quality.  Listed below are some of the points on how Beracah Homes and Beracah’s preferred builders live up to these “green building” standards…

Energy Efficiency:

• Your Beracah is built strong… and sealed airtight.  Conditioned crawlspaces, finished attics.  Blown in… BIBS Insulation (see pictures), Outfitted with Energy Star Appliances, LED Lighting, prepped for Solar or Wind use (you might decide to install a solar system or a wind turbine at a later date – but now is the time to prep for installation, as you will eliminate future installation hassles). 

Conservation of Natural Resources:

• Modular home/Plant construction is the most efficient use of lumber in building.  Wood is cut exactly to specifications to ensure very little waste, and what waste there is, is then recycled.  Beracah recycles its scrap lumber.  You also have an option of carpet made from recycled materials.  Think little steps.  Small steps in a variety of categories add up.  All these little steps help reduce the amount of CO2 emissions produced by the plant and ultimately your home during its construction.  Native plants are also extremely popular for landscaping and we can help you plan your landscaping around your new Beracah with them.  By using native plants, you propagate those that thrive in our area and eliminate other invasive species.

Indoor Air Quality:

• Your home is built in a controlled environment.  Inside our plant, your lumber is always kept dry.  Unlike a traditional jobsite where your lumber is exposed to the elements of wind/sun/water, you won’t worry about whether the wood was completely dry, when your home was framed and sealed.  Wet wood leads to mold problems… and is by far the most common concern of new home construction.  Beracah operates a DRY plant, a controlled environment, 365 days a year.  You also have the ability to select low or no VOC paints or finishes.  Off gassing of traditional paints & finishes often takes the “settling” of your house to completely eliminate.  With these alternatives, there are no noxious fumes at all.

Most importantly… the benefit of working with a Beracah preferred builder is that often (especially when building on your own lot) you have the ability to situate your home so that it achieves a “passive solar” layout.  While all three factors of green building are important, a “passive solar” layout of your home will achieve optimum solar gains and is fundamental to lowering “fixed” costs to heat and cool your home.  Ask your Beracah preferred builder to help situate your home.

Lastly, as mentioned in previous pages, all Beracah preferred builders are Green Advantage certified, and your home is built in a plant that is Energy Star certified.  Before you build a home that claims to be green-built or Energy Star certified… make sure your builder knows and understands the difference.  Ask for your Herrs Index score; ask to see the certification of Energy Star from a 3^rd party inspection agency.  If those documents can’t be produced, question their practices.  From the start, Built Smart… Build with Beracah.

 Now... let's head to Step 2 - And Design your next home.